Syrian forces are starving civilians to death, it was claimed yesterday, with residents forced to eat cats and dogs to survive.

‘Rampant malnutrition’ has claimed at least 128 residents of the under-siege Yarmouk district of the capital Damascus since last July a new report by Amnesty International says. Some have been poisoned after eating cats or dogs or inedible plants.

The 40-page report - Squeezing the life out of Yarmouk: War crimes against besieged civilians, published ahead of the third anniversary of the Syria uprising (15 March) - highlights the deaths of nearly 200 people in Yarmouk between last July and 22 February this year.

Scale of suffering: Desperate people queue for food in the besieged Palestinian camp of Yarmouk, in Damascus, where some have resorted to eating cats and dogs

According to Amnesty’s research, 128 people of these starved to death in what has turned into a catastrophic humanitarian crisis for the estimated 17,000-20,000 people still trapped in Yarmouk.

Last July, an existing government forces siege of Yarmouk was tightened still further, and access to food and medical supplies was completely cut off.

RELATED ARTICLES

Share this article

Share

The report says residents told Amnesty that they have not eaten fruit or vegetables for months, and local prices have increased enormously, with a kilo of rice costing up to £60.

For months residents have been forced to forage for food in the streets or fields - risking being killed by Syrian army snipers as they scour for anything that might be edible, including cactus and dandelion leaves, Amnesty said.

Struggle to survive: Amnesty International says that at least 128 people have died of malnutrition in Yarmouk between last July and February this year

Renewed shelling of the area in recent days has cut off deliveries once more.

The report also highlights how government forces and their allies have repeatedly carried out deadly attacks - including air raids and shelling with heavy weapons - on Yarmouk’s civilian buildings, with schools, hospitals and a mosque attacked.

Some of the targeted areas were sheltering people who had already been forced to flee from conflict in other parts of Syria.

Meanwhile, at least 150 people have been arrested under the siege since April 2011, with more than 80 still in detention as of last week.

Amnesty is calling for the immediate and unconditional release of all those detained solely for their political opinions or identity.

Amnesty International Middle East and North Africa Director Philip Luther said: 'Syrian forces are committing war crimes by using starvation of civilians as a weapon of war.'

The harrowing accounts of families having to resort to eating cats and dogs, and civilians attacked by snipers as they forage for food, have become all too familiar details of the horror story that has materialised in Yarmouk.

Drop in the ocean: Access to food and medical supplies is also very difficult with families facing terrible living conditions